Deflector



Nov. 24, 1925.

W. G. MELLIGAN DEFLECTOR Filed June 14, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WILL/ANS C. /7/L Snow;

' Nov. 24, 1925.

W. G. MIILLIGAN DEFLECTOR Filed June 14. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 gnvwn (o p W/LL/Ams C. MAL/43AM Patented Nov. 24, 1925.

UNiTED STATES PATENT OFFICES.

DEFLEGTOR.

Application filed June 14, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAMS G. MILLI- 'GAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Akron, county of Summit, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Deflectors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in deflectors 0r guards, particularly adapted, though not necessarily limited, for Ford automobiles.

In the well known types of automobiles, the control levers and pedals operate through slots in the foot boards. The presence of these slots or openings has caused considerable discomfort to the operators by allowing the entrance of heated air from the engine in summer and cold air in winter, as well as dust and dirt at all times.

The present invention has for its main object the provision of a deflector or guard to preclude the air from entering the machine, without interfering with the operation of the control levers.

A further object is to provide a deflector which may be readily applied in proper position, which will be durable in construction and which may be manufactured at a comparatively low cost.

The various features of my invention will i be best understood from a description of the embodiment thereof selected to illustrate the same, it being understood, however, that my invention is not limited to such selected embodiment.

Figure 7 is a plan View of the deflectorshown in Figure 6; and

Figure 8 is a side View of the deflector. Referring more particularly to the draw ings, the numeral 2 designates the usual foot board comprising the removable sections 4 and 6 provided with registering slots through which the clutch operating pedals Serial No. 645,274.

8 and 10 and the brake operating pedal 11 extend.

In order to prevent a blast of air from entering through these slots, I have provided the deflector shown in the drawings. The deflector is preferably of sheet metal and arranged in two sections 12 and 22, each section being secured to the lower face of the removable floor section. The part 12 consists of a downwardly inclined front wall 14 and side walls 16 and 18, the latter being broken away to aiford sufficient clearance for the transmission case. A flange 20 ex tends around the upper edge of the section 12, whereby it may be secured directly to the floor board 4. Lugs 21 may be stamped up from the sections 12 to engage the slots and position the deflector. The rear section 22 consists of a rear wall 24, a short deep side wall 26 and a longer shallow wall 27, the wall 27 fitting against the inclined surface of the transmission casing. The seotions are constructed to provide an opening 28 large enough to receive the shanks of the control pedals when the parts are assembled. Lugs 29 may be provided on the section 22 to engage the slots and position it properly on the floor boards.

From the above description it will be manifest that any current of air directed against the front and sides of the deflector will be directed away from the slots in the floor board, while, at the same time, there will be no interference with the free operation of the pedals.

The device for closing the hand lever slot is not claimed in the present application.

A modified form of a deflector for the foot lever slots is shown in Figures 9 and 10. A one piece frame is shown at 44, of rectangular shape, which may have prolongations bent to provide hooks 46 to be secured to the transmission casing, or it may be provided with lugs 46, as shown in Figure 10, to be fastened to the top floor board 4 in any suitable manner. Either fastening means may be used as desired. If the hooks 46 are used, a strip of metal 28, bent as shown in Figure 11, may be added to the top floor board to hold the upper edge of the frame. A second strip 23 may be secured to the lower floor board to hold the lower edge of the frame. Upon the frame is fastened a flexible deflecting body 4'? which may be of any suitable material, such.

as metal or cloth, and including a cover part 48 which is inclined rearwardly"and shaped toward an opening 50 provided therein to receive the shanks of the pedal. A wall 52 encloses the deflector at the'reari Thede flector is placed around the foot levers and retained in place by any of the means de-- scribed. When the foot boardsare asse1nbled, the deflector will be held tightly against the lower-face thereof by-tlre'frame'i k Inasmuch as the deflector will completelyen close the pedals, it is evident tlrat the air currents will bev directed downwardlyby the inclined cover i8 and prevente-dafronr entering through thevslots in the foot "boa-rd.

Since the manner in whichthedifterent parts; operate to perform their functions has beenfull'y set forth, no further description of the operation-is necessary for an understanding of the inventon;

Having describedthe invention, what- I claim as new-and' desireto secureby Letters Patent of'the United States is:

1. In: an automobile construction, the- 001m bination of a sectional floor boar-d having bination of a sectional floor board-having.

slots therein for the operation of the control levers, a deflector having, front and side walls about the slots, means forsuspending) the deflectorfrom one of the sections oflthe floor board, oneof the side walls of the deflector extending rearwardly beneath the other section of the floor board, and *a sup-' plementary deflector upon the other section of the floor board"cooperatinguwith the first deflector to 'completely'surround the' slots, the lower portion ofthe deflector being. closed by the transmission casing.

3. In a motor vehicle, the combination ofa pair of removable foot boards provided at adjacent edges with registering slots for controlling levers, and a deflecting device comprising two independent sections, one applied to each floor board, the front section having a rearwardly and downwardly inclined face, side walls integral with said face, one of said walls terminating at the rear edge of the frontfoot board,the rear clined face projecting "beneaththe slots "and shaped to direct air currents--downwardly therefrom, the rear sect-ion having a rear wall and a short side portion adapted totel'escope within the front'section', the-bottom of asection being broken away to afford an opening in which the controlling, levers operate.

5. Ina'motor vehicle, the combination of a pair of removablefootboards provided "at adjacent edgeswith-registering slots for the controlling. levers a'nd-a guard for said slots, the guard comprising-separable sections secured to the respective floorboards,

the front section being provided with a rearwardly inclined facelprojeeting beneath the slots and shaped todir'ect air currents downwardly therefrom, the rear section adapted to be receive within'thefront section,- the bottOnrofa section being broken away to afford an opening in which the controlling 'leversoperate.

WILLIAMS G. MILLIGAN. 

